Bowser Statue
| Bowser Statue | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Artwork of acaptured Bowser Statue fromSuper Mario Odyssey | |||
| First appearance | Super Mario Bros. 3 (1988) | ||
| Latest appearance | Super Mario Galaxy + Super Mario Galaxy 2 (2025) | ||
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Bowser Statues[1]:114 (sometimes formatted asBowser statues), also known asStone Bowsers,[2] are statues that first appear inSuper Mario Bros. 3. They normally appear as stone busts ofBowser with gaping mouths and are generally indestructible. They mainly act as inanimate objects, usually for decorative purposes inlevels—for instance, merely appearing as background objects inMario Kart: Super Circuit andNew Super Mario Bros. Wii—but sometimes fire projectiles atMario.
History[edit]
Super Mario series[edit]
Super Mario Bros. 3[edit]
InSuper Mario Bros. 3, Bowser Statues solely appear in Bowser's Castle. Some are harmless, but others shoot out a diagonal laser when Mario approaches. They cannot be defeated. Both the originalSuper Mario Bros. 3 andSuper Mario World variants of the Bowser Statue appear inSuper Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3. They are found in theWorld-e levelBowser's Last Stand; the former can be found in the first room of the level, while the latter in the penultimate room before theBowser fight, in both gray and gold colorations.
Super Mario World[edit]
Gray Bowser Statues[1]:52 later appear inSuper Mario World. They are hunched over compared to the more upright ones in the previous game, and rather than being part of the terrain, they are distinct objects that can be affected by gravity (as seen when spawning above aDotted-Line Block). These statues shoot fireballs in a straight line in lieu of the laser beams.Gold Bowser Statues,[1]:52 also known asMiniature Bowsers,[1]:147 also make an appearance. Unlike the Gray Bowser Statues, Gold Bowser Statues cannot be stood upon. They jump periodically and damage Mario and Luigi when touched but do not shoot fire. They can be lured into the lava or defeated byCaped Mario's Body Press, which reveals aglitchy sprite. Cape Mario's Body Press can also defeat the gray statue's fireballs, which shows a glitched sprite as well.
New Super Mario Bros.[edit]
InNew Super Mario Bros.' main game, Bowser Statues merely appear as a decoration for corridors leading to fights against Bowser. However, in theminigameDanger, Bob-omb! Danger!, the mechanical Bowser Statue fromMario Kart: Double Dash!! is the primary obstacle. It moves around, shooting fire in an attempt to light aBob-omb Buddy. Using the stylus, the player must help the Bob-omb Buddy escape from the fire. Likely due to it being a sprite instead of a model, the mechanical Bowser has a more stony appearance than inDouble Dash!!
Super Mario Galaxy[edit]
InSuper Mario Galaxy and itsNintendo Switchport, they appear in theGhostly Galaxy andBowser's Galaxy Reactor as inanimate objects (although destroying them brings out an item or helps a player proceed through a level). In the Ghostly Galaxy, there are a few in the missionBeware of Bouldergeist. In this mission, a Bowser Statue covers the fireplace with aLaunch Star inside. In Bowser's Galaxy Reactor, one makes an appearance on theStarting Planet, and several make an appearance inside theTower Planet. When these are destroyed by aBullet Bill, they release onecoin each.
Super Mario Galaxy 2[edit]
The Bowser statues appear inSuper Mario Galaxy 2 and its Nintendo Switchport inBowser's Lava Lair andBowser's Galaxy Generator. The ones in Bowser's Lava Lair can rotate to face each other and create anelectric rail that Mario orLuigi must jump over. The one in Bowser's Galaxy Generator is found on theGalaxy Generator Door Planet, and though considerably larger than the previous ones, serves for decorative purposes. They also appear in other galaxies but, as in the previous game, are inanimate. Bowser Jr. statues also appear in theBoo Moon Galaxy andBowser Jr.'s Fearsome Fleet but merely act as decoration. Unlike the stone Bowser statues, the Bowser Jr. statues are metallic.
New Super Mario Bros. 2[edit]
Heads of Bowser statues, referred to asBowser sculptures,[3] appear inNew Super Mario Bros. 2. They can be found on walls breathing large fireballs that fly horizontally to the left. They appear inWorld 6-5 andWorld
Star-7 as well as in the giant Bowser andDry Bowser battles. The ones in the third part of both battles breathe purple fireballs which fly straight at Mario, similar toLudwig von Koopa's blue magic blasts during his first battle inNew Super Mario Bros. Wii but less pursuant.
Super Mario 3D World /Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury[edit]
Bowser Statues appear inSuper Mario 3D World and itsNintendo Switch port, blocking new levels until the player has a certain amount ofGreen Stars to break them. For castles, gates are used. They block the following levels, and the following number of Green Stars are needed to unlock them:
- World 1-
CastleBowser's Highway Showdown: 10 - World 2-2Puffprod Peaks: 15
- World 3-2Chain-Link Charge: 30
- World 4-CastleLava Rock Lair: 50
- World 5-3Backstreet Bustle: 80
- World 6-3Hands-On Hall: 100
- World
Castle-CastleBowser's Lava Lake Keep: 130 - World
Bowser-CastleThe Great Tower of Bowser Land: 170 - World
Star-9Cosmic Cannon Cluster: 210 - World
Mushroom-7Broken Blue Bully Belt: 240
Additionally, Bowsersand statues appear in a select few levels:
- World 5-1Sunshine Seaside
- WorldBowser-2Plessie's Dune Downhill
Super Mario Maker /Super Mario Maker for Nintendo 3DS[edit]
Bowser Statues also make a minor appearance inSuper Mario Maker andSuper Mario Maker for Nintendo 3DS. If the player sets the course to castle-themed and puts many ground blocks across the level, Bowser Statues will eventually start appearing as background decorations. As such, they are harmless and cannot be interacted with. ABowser Jr. statue also may appear.
Super Mario Odyssey[edit]
InSuper Mario Odyssey various golden Bowser statues are seen inBowser's Kingdom. Two of them appear in the area thatTopper andHariet are battled, with one being destroyed for each defeated. They have clothes based on the Japanese godsRaijin andFūjin, the gods of thunder and wind, respectively.
Heads of golden Bowser statues can be found in some parts of the Kingdom as well.Cappy can be spun on both of their horns forcoins. Two large heads appear facing inward on a large arch towards the end of thepoison-filled area at the top, and do nothing. Four large heads appear on the giant arch before theRoboBrood arena, where they let out flame every few seconds. However, since they are in the corners and are facing outwards, getting damaged by them requires jumping off the structure. A much larger head appears on the front of the same arch, and has aPower Moon in the nose that can be obtained byGround Pounding on it.
Stone Bowser statues appear in the Underground Moon Caverns of theMoon Kingdom. One Bowser statue near the beginning of the caverns can becaptured and moved in order to reveal a hole underneath it with aPower Moon.
Super Mario Maker 2[edit]
Bowser Statues reprise their role as harmless background decorations inSuper Mario Maker 2. In the version 3.0.0 update of the game, Bowser Statues use a retouched version of theirSuper Mario World sprite in the Volcano theme of the World Maker mode.
Super Mario Bros. Wonder[edit]
Giant Bowser Statues reappear inSuper Mario Bros. Wonder, appearing in both a gray and golden variety like inSuper Mario World. The gold variant first appears inSecrets of Shova Mansion, where aWonder Shova pushes it during the level'sWonder Effect, while the gray variant appears inThe Final Battle! Bowser's Rage Stage, where it blocks the player's path, but is destroyed by a stampedingWonder Bulrush herd. The player cannot pass through the statues as aghost.
The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3[edit]
InThe Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3, Bowser Statues designed after King Koopa appear in "Do the Koopa", guardingDark Land and theTemple of Gloom. They fire lasers from their mouths; two of the statues remove the heroes' raccoon power-up.
Super Mario World television series[edit]
Bowser Statues, though never named, appear occasionally in theSuper Mario World animated series. Bowser Statues first appear in the episode "Send in the Clown", where one attacks Mario by shooting a fireball at him while he is traveling throughNeon Castle. Later in the episode, Mario accidentally stumbles upon another Bowser Statue, which proceeds to spit a fireball at him; Mario manages to narrowly avoid this fireball, which hits hisKoopa Football Player pursuers. In a later episode, entitled "Mama Luigi", two Bowser Statues are shown to act as guards to the entrance of Neon Castle; additionally, a Bowser Statue is also found in the basement of Neon Castle. This Bowser Statue is eventually shut-down by Yoshi, who eats one of its spat fireballs and blasts the Bowser Statue with flames.
Mario's Time Machine[edit]
In the NES release ofMario's Time Machine, Bowser Statues appear inBowser's Museum, where they use Bowser's graphics fromSuper Mario Bros. 3, and as such are the same size as him. However, two of their 8-by-8 tiles (the right hand and lower jaw) appear to have been switched by mistake.
Mario Kart series[edit]
Mario Kart 64[edit]
In theMario Kart series, Bowser Statues first appear inMario Kart 64 inBowser's Castle. Here they are brown and just stand in place shooting fire that cannot hit the racers. One large one appears in the first courtyard, and some smaller ones without arms appear in a later hall with horizontally-slidingThwomps.
Mario Kart: Double Dash!![edit]
InMario Kart: Double Dash!!, a single Bowser Statue, also called theMechanical Bowser,[4] appears towards the end ofBowser's Castle. It slides horizontally along a rail next to a hairpin turn along the top of a castle wall where the track is, shooting large fireballs. These fireballs move at high speed at a single height and can prove dangerous to racers racing both towards and away from the titanic statue, particularly those attempting to perform the shortcut skipping over the hairpin, where spinning out may result in failing to make the jump and falling. It moves in a very jerky, mechanical manner. The statue moves considerably slower when playing Bowser's Castle in a splitscreen race.
Mario Kart Wii[edit]
InMario Kart Wii, another lone Bowser Statue, this time alternatively known asMecha Bowser[5]:92 orBowser (Mechanical),[5]:33 appears in the new iteration ofBowser's Castle. Its model and textures resemble the one fromDouble Dash! with a few touch-ups such as a more sophisticated jaw,[6] though its movement is far more fluid and organic. It overlooks the end of a long stretch in the center of the track, halfway through the course, now seemingly coming out of thelava. As racers drive towards it, it launches large fireballs that bounce along the middle of the track until they explode, acting as a hazard that adds a major risk factor to taking the middle—and fastest—route through the room. The racers then drive past Mecha Bowser on either side of it, as the track splits into two when it reaches the stone Koopa.
The Bowser Statues fromMario Kart 64 reappear in their original course, now using a nearly-unchanged version of theDouble Dash!! model, albeit shaded brown.[6] The one in the courtyard can now hit racers with its fire.
Mario Kart 8 /Mario Kart 8 Deluxe[edit]
- See also:Lava Bowser
Bowser Statues that shoot lasers fromSuper Mario Bros. 3 appear inMario Kart 8 andMario Kart 8 Deluxe calledLaser Statues.[7] The course also features a giant Bowser Statue resembling Mecha Bowser called theLava Bowser. Both are again featured inBowser's Castle.
Mario Party series[edit]
Non-living Bowser Statues also appear in theMario Party 2 andMario Party 8 minigamesDestruction Duet andPunch-a-Bunch, respectively, where the objectives are to destroy them. InMario Party 6, several immobile Bowser Statues appear in the Bowser minigameDizzy Rotisserie; if a character does not complete this minigame in time, these Bowser Statues will spring to life and fill the arena with fire, roasting any characters that did not make it to the finish. This minigame returns inMario Party: The Top 100. Also inMario Party 6, a golden one appears as one of the events inSeer Terror, where it squashes the player. A Golden Bowser Statue is one of the items that can be sold in Bowser's Shop (Bowser City) inMario Party 7, in which Bowser forces the player to buy it for 30 coins, with Koopa Kid getting rid of it afterwards. Bowser Statues also appear inSuper Mario Party Jamboree, appearing inBurning Bridges in theirNew Super Mario Bros. 2 design, while a Bowser Statue can also be seen near the Koopathlon and Bowser Kaboom Squad islands.
Super Princess Peach[edit]
Bowser Statues also appear inSuper Princess Peach as inanimate objects, where they decorate the course where the initial fight with Bowser takes place. They only appear in that battle, where they can be crushed by Bowser's misused charge attack, resulting in acrystal forPeach to collect.
Mario & Luigi series[edit]
Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story[edit]
Bowser Statues reappear inMario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story, as well as itsremake, appearing as decorations in Bowser's Castle, though they've been remodeled byFawful after he took it over, having his trademark glasses instead of Bowser's usual face.
Mario & Luigi: Dream Team[edit]
InMario & Luigi: Dream Team, Bowser Statues appear inNeo Bowser Castle. Here, they have hinged mouths that open to shoot fire when the bros. approach. Some of them close for just long enough to get past with theSide Drill, but others constantly stay active. To get around these, the bros. must perform aSpin Jump. Others move up and down as well, and depending on the floor can be passed with a Side Drill orBall Hop.
Mario Tennis Aces[edit]
A single Bowser Statue appears a boss inMario Tennis Aces, fought atBowser's Castle in the missionBattle the Treasure Guardian!. In battle, the Bowser Statue deploys a forcefield around itself, and launches sets of three fireballs at Mario which must be knocked back; if a fireball is not lobbed back, it becomes a stage hazard. The Bowser Statue will then fire a laser beam that sets the ground ablaze, finishing by firing a giant purple fireball which can be knocked back to deal lots of damage. The Bowser Statue will repeat this process until it is out of health, in which Mario must avoid the oncoming meteors to perform aZone Shot at the statue's mouth. The statue will then repeatedly shoot streams of fire at Mario, then repeat its ball-serving mechanics, except it will more evenly space out the fireballs it shoots. After Mario fires a Zone Shot at it a second time, it will shoot streams of fire again, except perform a sweeping motion with them. It will then repeat the same ball-serving mechanics it used in the second phase.
After Mario performs the third and final Zone Shot at the Bowser Statue, thePower Stone in its mouth will seemingly disintegrate, and acorruptedWario andWaluigi take the Power Stone.
Mario Golf: Super Rush[edit]
InMario Golf: Super Rush, Bowser Statues appear as objects at certain holes inBowser Highlands, including a giant one at hole 9.
Illumination film series[edit]
The Super Mario Bros. Movie[edit]
Bowser Statues appear inThe Super Mario Bros. Movie as decorations in Bowser's Castle.
The Super Mario Galaxy Movie[edit]
This section isreferring to a subject in an upcoming or recently released film. When the film is released, or more information about this subject is found, this section may need major rewriting.
This notice should be removed after a month has passed since the film was first released.
A statue of Bowser holding Bowser Jr. appears inThe Super Mario Galaxy Movie.[8]:0:16
Profiles and statistics[edit]
Perfect Ban Mario Character Daijiten[edit]
| クッパ石像 (JP) / Bowser Statue (EN) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 | |||
| Original text (Japanese) | Translation | ||
| 岩石族 | Tribe | Rock clan | |
| がまんづよい | Disposition | Very patient | |
| 3、ワールド | Game appearances | 3, World | |
| 石像でもクッパは怖いぞ クッパの姿をかたどった、どんなことをしても壊れないじょうぶな石像。3ではビームを、ワールドでは火炎を発射するものがいる。また、ワールドでは動く石像もあるので怖い。[9] | Even stone statues of Bowser scare the crap out of me Made in Bowser’s image, these are durable stone statues which won’t break no matter what you do. In 3, there is a stone statue that shoots beams, and in World, there is a stone statue that shoots flames. In World, there are also moving stone statues, which are scary. | ||
Mario Kart Wii[edit]
- Mario Kart Wii game guide:This massive mechanical monster throws out a molten cannonball that stops and spins you out. Dodge it to remain on course!
Gallery[edit]
- For this subject's image gallery, seeGallery:Bowser Statue.
Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3
Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3
Naming[edit]
Internal names[edit]
| Game | File | Name | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Super Mario Galaxy 2 | SystemData/ObjNameTable.arc/ObjNameTable.tbl | クッパ彫像 (Kuppa Chōzō) | Bowser Statue |
| New Super Mario Bros. 2 | romfs/Model/Map_obj/koopa_head.bcres | koopa_head | Bowser Head |
Names in other languages[edit]
| Language | Name | Meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Japanese | クッパ Kuppa Sekizō | Bowser Stone Statue | Super Mario Bros. 3,Super Mario World, andNew Super Mario Bros. 2 |
| クッパ Kuppa Zō | Bowser Statue | Mario Kart 8 Deluxe | |
| クッパ像[?] Kuppa Zō | Super Mario Odyssey | ||
| Chinese(Simplified) | 酷霸王雕像[12] Kùbàwáng Diāoxiàng | Bowser Statue | New Super Mario Bros. |
| 酷霸王的石像[?] Kùbàwáng de Shíxiàng | Bowser's Stone Statue | Super Mario Odyssey | |
| 酷霸王的大石像[?] Kùbàwáng de Dà Shíxiàng | Bowser's Big Stone Statue | Mario Tennis Aces | |
| 酷霸王石像[13] Kùbàwáng Shíxiàng | Bowser Stone Statue | Super Nintendo World | |
| French | Statue de Bowser[14][15] | Statue of Bowser | |
| German | Bowser-Statue[16] | Bowser Statue | |
| Italian | Statua di Bowser[17]:41, 60, 200[18]:41, 60, 200 | Bowser's statue | |
| Russian | Статуя Боузера[?] Statuya Bouzera | Statue of Bowser | |
| Spanish | Estatua de Bowser[?] | Statue of Bowser |
- Golden variant
| Language | Name | Meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| German | Bowser-Statue (Gold)[?] | Bowser Statue (Gold) | |
| Bowser in Gold[16] | Bowser in Gold | ||
| Italian | Statua dorata di Bowser[17]:60 | Bowser's golden statue | Super Mario Bros. Encyclopedia (first edition) |
| Statua di Bowser dorata[18]:60 | Super Mario Bros. Encyclopedia (second edition) |
References[edit]
- ^abcdAugust 1991. NintendoMario Mania Player's Guide.Nintendo of America (English). Page 52, 114, 147.
- ^"Mario and Yoshi VS Stone Bowser Bulding Set" –K'Nex set box—image (JPG). RetrievedMarch 27, 2020 from bigcommerce.com. (Archived November 15, 2023, 14:02:46 UTC via Wayback Machine.)
- ^von Esmarch, Nick (2012).New Super Mario Bros. 2 PRIMA Official Game Guide.Prima Games (American English). ISBN978-0-307-89552-3. Page 169 and 229.
- ^Hodgson, David S. J. (November 25, 2003).Mario Kart: Double Dash!! Prima's Official Strategy Guide.Prima Games (American English). ISBN0-7615-4424-0. Page 130.
- ^abHodgson, David S. J. (April 27, 2008).Mario Kart Wii Premiere Edition.Prima Games (American English). ISBN0-7615-5970-1. Page 33, 92.
- ^abDoc von Schmeltwick (October 10, 2024).Collage of Bowser Statue models and textures fromMario Kart: Double Dash!! andMario Kart Wii, collected from noclip.website (PNG).Super Mario Boards. Retrieved October 10, 2024. (Archived December 7, 2024, 22:33:58 UTC via Wayback Machine.)
- ^"'Laser Statues: While not active during Lap 1, the last two laps activate Bowser statues that fire lasers onto the track." – Musa, Alexander (May 30, 2014).Mario Kart 8 PRIMA Official Game Guide.Prima Games (American English). ISBN978-0-804-16328-6. Page 130.
- ^Illumination and Universal Pictures (February 6, 2026).The Super Mario Galaxy Movie | Level Up.YouTube. Retrieved February 9, 2026.
- ^ab1994. 「パーフェクト版 マリオキャラクター大事典」 (Perfect Ban Mario Character Daijiten).Shogakukan (Japanese). Page69. Retrieved February 7, 2019 from Imgur.
- ^Sakai, Kazuya (Ambit), kikai, Akinori Sao, Junko Fukuda, Kunio Takayama, and Ko Nakahara (Shogakukan), editors. (October 19, 2015). 『スーパーマリオブラザーズ百科: 任天堂公式ガイドブック』. Tokyo:Shogakukan (Japanese). ISBN978-4-09-106569-8. Page 41, 60, and 200.
- ^Suzuki, Tadashikō (editor) (June 5, 2017 (first print), June 25, 2025 (ninth print)). 「マリオカート8 デラックスパーフェクトガイド超∞」(Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Perfect Guide Hyper ∞).Kadokawa (Japanese). ISBN978-4-04-733258-4. Page 184.
- ^New 超级马力欧兄弟.iQue (Simplified Chinese). RetrievedMarch 2, 2020. (Archived August 9, 2009, 18:55:56 UTC via Wayback Machine.)
- ^March 26, 2021.日本环球影城.Weibo (Simplified Chinese). Retrieved July 27, 2021.
- ^OcariKnights (July 13, 2018).[LP] Mario Tennis Aces #07 : Volcan grondant.YouTube (French). Retrieved September 7, 2024.
- ^Polo (July 17, 2018).COMBAT ULTIME ENTRE MARIO ET BOWSER ! | Mario Tennis Aces #9.YouTube (Canadian French). Retrieved September 7, 2024.
- ^abMenold, Marcus, Claude M. Moyse, and Andreas G. Kämmerer, editors (1993).Der offizielle Nintendo Spieleberater "Super Mario World". Großostheim:Nintendo of Europe GmbH (German). Page 20.
- ^abSakai, Kazuya (ambit), kikai, Akinori Sao, Junko Fukuda, Kunio Takayama, Ko Nakahara (Shogakukan), and Marco Figini, editors (2018). "Super Mario Bros. 3" inSuper Mario Bros. Enciclopedia. Translated by Marco Amerighi. Milan:Magazzini Salani (Italian). ISBN889367436X.
- ^abSakai, Kazuya (ambit), kikai, Akinori Sao, Junko Fukuda, Kunio Takayama, Ko Nakahara (Shogakukan), and Marco Figini, editors (2025).Super Mario Bros. Enciclopedia (2nd ed.). Translated by Alessandro Apreda. Milan:Magazzini Salani (Italian). ISBN979-1259575760.
- Bowser lookalikes
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